Telling the Family
by Lady-Frisselle
Summary: Joxer has something to tell his brothers and they have some interesting encounters as a result.


AN/Disclaimer: AU obviously. I don't own them. I'm also not going to attempt that French accent thing that Jayce does. Just assume he's talking that way.

Pairings: A/J, pre C/S, and I'll pair the other triplets with some one eventually.

Telling the Family

By Lady Frisselle

The King of Assassins slipped into the alley behind a building and made his way down the street. Just around the corner he entered another building and made his way to a room on the second floor. He quickly changed his work clothes for some well worn travel leathers. The other clothes were put into a bag and shoved to the bottom of his travel pack. Once back on the street he headed back the way he had come heading towards the city gates. There was no way it could be connected to him and he should be well away by the time the body was found.

Jett congratulated himself on another good job as he exited the city and started off towards Corinth. As he walked he realized it had been a while since he saw his brothers. He thought he remembered Jayce saying that he had a play starting in Corinth soon. That would be a good way to relax. After that maybe he could talk him into tracking down their baby brother and having a good visit. That decided he picked up his pace. He should be able to be in Corinth in two days if he hurried.

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"Yes. Thank you it was a wonderful performance for all of us. I'll see everyone at the evening performance tomorrow." Jayce closed the door and leaned his forehead against it. He needed a vacation. Maybe after this play was through he'd try to find his brothers. He'd heard that Xena was in the area and his youngest brother was a friend of hers. Hopefully she would know how to get in touch with him, if he wasn't with her that is.

"Getting sloppy little brother," came a voice from behind him. Jayce spun around to find Jett sprawled across his bed. "I enjoyed your play."

"I thought you might when Cristicus showed it to me. The main character was an assassin. I tried to recall some of the things you had told me over the years when playing him. Do you think I pulled it off?"

Jett nodded and stretched. "It occurred to me that I hadn't seen you for a while so I stopped to visit. I thought maybe we could track down Joxer and spend a few days catching up."

"Sure. You're welcome to share the room with me if you don't already have one. It will be just like old times." The slow grin on his older brother's face was all the answer he needed.

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A few days later Jett and Jayce were sitting in the public room of the inn having breakfast. Jett looked up when the door opened and realized that his other brother had just come in. Joxer spotted him and waved before having a brief word with the innkeeper. The innkeeper nodded and some coins were exchanged. Joxer then went over to where his two brothers were seated.

"Hey you two," he said. "I was hoping that I see you two soon. I got us a private meeting room so we can talk and be comfortable at the same time."

They gathered their things and followed Joxer back to the room. The serving girl had just finished setting things on the table when they entered. Joxer closed the door behind her.

After everyone had gotten settled Jayce turned to his youngest brother and said, "So how have you been?"

"I've been good. That's one of the reasons I was glad to see you actually," Joxer said. "I'm getting married next month and I would like you both to be there."

"That's great, little brother," said Jett. "Of course we'll be there."

"Most definitely," Jayce added. "The run of the play is over at the end of the month and I don't have anything else lined up yet so this works out great."

"I do have a few questions for you though," Jett put in. "Where is the wedding? How long have you known her? What is her name?"

"It's not a woman," Joxer said. The other two men in the room blinked but before Joxer could say anything else there was a flurry of knocks on the door followed by "Room Service."

Joxer said, "We didn't order anything."

". . . Candy-gram."

Joxer sighed and said, "Just come in. I was almost to the important part anyway."

"Feathers isn't here is he?"

"No."

"He could be hiding."

"Both of my brothers are in here with me. I think that he would have come out to say 'Hi' by now. Now come in and I promise to show you how I cooked for that army. I know you've heard about that."

There was a blue flash and when Jett and Jayce opened their eyes after the involuntary blink they saw the God of Mischief hugging their brother. "Really," he was saying, "I figured that you did it on purpose no matter what that bard said."

"Yeah I did. Gabby had been saying mean things about the gods in general and to me in particular so I let them think that I couldn't cook. That way they put me in a position where I could do the most good."

"Um…Joxer? Is this who you're going to marry?"

Strife's eyes got wide and he started to giggle. Joxer swatted him upside the head and said, "No. I'm marrying his uncle." He swatted Strife again. "Stop giggling. I hadn't told them yet when you showed up. All I had managed to say was that it wasn't a woman."

"It's not that. . . I was just imagining Unc's face if he had heard that."

"You're marrying the God of War." Jett said. Joxer and Strife nodded. "Well that is so much better than that bard that follows Xena around. Better looking to."

"You want us to be at your wedding, which is most likely on Mount Olympus. Are you sure we'll be allowed?" Jayce asked.

"Sure. Unc said that if Zeus was going to force them to invite Hercules then Jox should be able to invite you two."

"You can come to the temple now if you like. Ares has wanted to meet you anyway. Something about meeting the sane side of the family." Joxer added.

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Strife started to fidget more than normal at those words. "Um…why don't I just send you all up there and I'll see you later?"

"Well I can come up for a visit but I can't stay for too long," said Jayce. "I have an evening performance today."

"I'm good. I can stay for a while. I just need to pack my stuff."

"Sure. Why don't we all head up there? Then ALL FOUR of us can head out," Joxer said. He pinned Strife with a look. "Avoiding him won't solve anything. You have to talk to him if you want things to go anywhere…besides Ares is watching Bliss today and he loves to play with you."

The quartet trooped upstairs to get Jett's things and then Strife flashed them up to the House of War on Olympus. Jett and Jayce were looking around when there was a white blur and Strife ended up on the floor with a mass of giggling godling on top. "Hide me Strife."

"Why?"

"Because he doesn't want to take a bath or eat his ambrosia," came an amused voice from the door. Ares moved into the room. "Nice to finally meet you. Giggles over there is my grandson Bliss."

"Nice to meet you Lord Ares, Lord Bliss," said Jayce as he and Jett gave a small bow.

Bliss giggled. Then he looked at the two men. "You Joxie's brothers. He talk about you. He telled me good stories about you." The little godling looked right at Jett. "You talk to cousin Phonos. It make him happy." Bliss nodded decisively and said," He always sad. I not like it when he sad."

Seeing that Jett was shocked by this (OK Jett was just standing there but he knew his brother) Joxer said, "Come on Bliss. I'll give you your bath. Maybe Jayce will help too?"

Jayce was quick to agree. He wasn't sure he wanted to be around when Jett came back to himself. It wouldn't be pretty when he realized he had zoned out in a situation that he didn't control.

Strife thought up a chair as Ares said, "Jett why don't we sit down and have a chat. I understand that among mortals the custom is to ask the head of the family for permission to marry a younger member. Since none of you talk to your father anymore that's you."

Strife godfully restrained giggles when Jett blinked at Ares and went "Huh? ... oh, um, sure. I can't think of anyone better for him. Just don't hurt him or I will find a way to hurt you." The assassin seemed more like himself at the end of that statement.

The God of Mischief couldn't resist saying, "I think the Bliss-man might be right Unc. Talking to Jett would make Phon happy."

With a grin at his nephew Ares turned to his future brother-in-law and said, "Yeah. I think you're the only mortal I've heard him mention by name in centuries. He also said that you do good work."

#And we're back to shock huh Unc?#

#Yeah. I think he would be good for Phonos and vice versa. I'll have to ask Joxer first though and maybe talk to Cupid.#

#You're not gonna have him shot with one of Cupie's specials are ya?#

#No, but he should have some ideas about how to get them together naturally.#

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While the Gods of War and Mischief were teasing the King of Assassins the God of Joy was getting a bath.

"Do you really think the God of Murder would be happy if he talked to Jett?" asked the man know to many as the Lord of the Dance.

"Yes," said Joxer. "Jett is the only mortal he's referred to by name as far as I know. I can't recall him even saying mine at all and he was there when Hera gave me the golden apple at breakfast this morning. All he said was 'I think you'll be a good consort for War.'"

Jayce looked thoughtful and said, "Maybe. . . I'd have to meet him first. Jett deserves someone that will make him happy."

"So do you but I see your point."

"I make him happy?"

"Not right now Bliss."

"Jett always had a thing for Phonos you know."

"Yeah, I remember him saying once that he tried to plan his jobs to make Phonos happy. I guess it worked," Joxer said with a thoughtful look on his face.

"Hey Joxie? What is going on with Strife? He seemed a little jumpy to me."

"Daddy really likes Cousin Strife. He makes Daddy much happier than Mommy ever did. Daddy thinks he doesn't like him though."

Joxer helped Bliss out of the bath and helped him dry off. "Your daddy told you that?"

"Yup. Want Strife to do my feathers. He does a real good job."

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The three went back to the main room to find that lunch had been set out.

"Ares did you remember the meat for my bunny?"

"Yes love I put it in his pen."

"Can I borrow him Joxie? Phobos and I have a project he'd be perfect for."

"Keep a close eye on him and make sure you get Hecate to give him some birth control. One of him is more than enough."

Jayce was looking back and forth between them and said, "You have a meat-eating bunny?"

"Yeah. He followed us home from Hec's one day and kept finding his way back every time we returned him. So we just kept him. Killer is just too cute when he's eating."

"I suppose he has pointy teeth."

"Of course," Ares put in. "He also has a fuzzy white tail and floppy ears."

"Can we go see him after lunch? I brought him a bone but Granpa said I had to wait till you got back."

Joxer agreed and everyone returned to their food.

After everyone had eaten, and Joxer's brothers had been shocked by watching Joxer's rabbit gnaw on a ham bone, they sat in the lounge room to catch up. Bliss was dozing off when Cupid flashed in to collect him.

"Hey everyone," said the winged god.

"Hello Cupid. I'd like you to meet Jett and Jayce my future brother-in-laws."

"Hello . . . Jayce. . . I think I've heard Uncle 'Pol and the Muses talk about you. They always say good things about you. Unlike that bard that follows Xena around. They really have it in for her for some reason." He turned to where Bliss was sitting and smiled at Strife. As he headed over there Strife stood up.

"Well I've got to go. I'll be by for Killer in the morning. Toodles." He had flashed out almost before finishing the last word. Cupid sighed and sat where Strife had been. Bliss snuggled into his daddy's side and patted his leg.

"It's alright Blissy. At least I got to see him today." The winged god made his goodbyes and left to put Bliss to bed. The remaining men looked at each other and Ares said, "I had no idea it had gotten that bad. Cupid is so depressed he can barely do his job and using Jox's bunny is the most creative thing Strife has done in a while. We need to do something."

"You could lock them in a room together," suggested Jayce.

"We tried that. Strife got them out in less than five minutes and then started his avoidance thing," said Joxer.

"I'll let you know if I come up with anything but I need to be going. Could you send me back please?" Ares waved a hand and sent Jayce on his way.

"Ar … I think it's time to call in the big weapons," said Joxer. "'Dite has to know about this. Maybe she can help."

"You're right. . . Aphrodite could you and Heph come here when you have a minute?"

There was a flash of pink and red sparkles and there stood the Goddess of Love and the God of the Forge. Before the sparks had faded she said, "We've got to do something about those two. Cupid is in his room trying not to cry and Strife is hiding from me."

"We know 'Dite but we're out of ideas." Ares then gestured to Jett and said, "By the way this is Jett one of Joxer's brothers. Jett this is Aphrodite and Hephaestus."

Jett gave them each a small bow. Aphrodite beamed at him but Hephaestus looked thoughtful. "Isn't Jett the one that Phonos keeps going on about?"

The King of Assassins blinked at him then turned to Ares. "You weren't kidding. I thought you might be . . . He really knows my name? I need to sit down." He proceeded to do just that and leant forward to put his head between his knees. Joxer sat next to him and started to rub his back while talking quietly.

"Wow. That was a better reaction than last time," said Ares with a laugh. "I think that also proves that babble is a family trait."

'Dite grinned and cocked an eyebrow at Ares. 'Later' he mouthed. She nodded and had a seat next to Hephaestus on the couch. "What should we do about the boys? Cupie hasn't been able to work properly for a couple days now 'cause he's so bummed."

"Strife isn't that bad but I've noticed that his pranks are getting a little vindictive. He asked to borrow Killer for a job and that's the most creative thing he's done is weeks."

Hephaestus said, "I know you tried the locking them in a room thing and it didn't work. Maybe if you came up with something that would force them to work together . . ."

"That might work. But what could we have them do?" asked 'Dite pensively.

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They all just sat there in thought for a while when Aphrodite suddenly sat up straight and looked at where Joxer was talking to Jett. She caught Joxer's eye and flicked a glance to Jett. He looked confused for a second then smiled and gave a small nod. "Make sure to say Bliss thought it was a good idea. That should get them both onboard if they try to object to it."

"Right."

"Dite, gorgeous goddess of my heart, what are you two talking about?"

"Hephy, we have come up with a brilliant plan to get Cupid and Strife together. . . Though . . . Jett you are interested in getting to know Phonos better right?"

Jett gave an out of character squeak, paled and put his head back between his knees. Joxer grinned and Ares said, "I believe that was a yes." There was a muffled squeak from the vicinity of Jett's knees.

"That could work," Ares said thoughtfully. "I had mentioned the possibility to Strife earlier. Neither one of them thinks that I know about their feelings so if I tell them to do it they'll complain but do it anyway."

The next morning Joxer took Jett out to show him around Olympus so Ares decided to put the plan in motion. He called the two gods in question to appear before him; they tried to make excuses to leave as soon as they realized who else was there. "Will you two please shut up?" Ares said in a quiet voice. "Now I've got a job for you two knuckleheads. I don't know what problems you have with each other and, frankly, I don't care. You will be working together. Are we clear on this?" Ares had been pacing in front of his throne but as he finished speaking he stopped and glared at the two fidgeting gods before him. He was met with two enthusiastic nods.

He sat on his throne and leaned forward. "I want you two to find out if the feelings between Jett and Phonos go deeper than admiration and if they do I want you to get them together. The natural way. Those two are so paranoid that it would throw everything off if they found out about any tampering."

"I'm not sure who would be scarier then," Cupid said pensively. "Phonos or Jett."

"You're right there Cuz . . . That would be a tough call."

"Jox is showing Jett around Olympus today. They were talking about dropping in on Heph and trying to get him to stop for lunch. You'll have to move a little carefully with Jett; this whole thing has him a little unsettled."

"I'll say . . . In less that a day he finds out that his brother is marrying a god and that the primary god he worships knows his name. If he'd been anyone else he'd still be in shock," Strife said.

"I have a war that needs looking after so I'll be on my way." Ares flashed out before either one could think of an objection. He also knew that if he stayed much longer Strife would start to clue it to the fact that he was being set up.

"Well," said Cupid. "I guess we need a plan of action. Did you want to come to my place so we can get started?" The God of Love held his breath as he waited. He hoped he hadn't sounded nervous when he said that.

Strife paused. He wasn't sure he'd be able to control himself but it wasn't often that his uncle asked him to do these personal jobs for him; he'd just have to suck up and deal. "Sure Feathers. I suggest we start with Phonos though. That'd give Jett some time to adjust to the whole thing."

As they discussed it the two walked to Cupid's temple. Neither one wanted to lessen the time that they spent together on this; with both of their denial issues they didn't get to spend much time together. Each one was enjoying spending time with the other god and secretly hoping that it would last past what it took to complete Ares request.

"Strife," Cupid said as they sat down. "You know Phonos better than I do . . . how do you think he'd react if we just straight out asked him about his feelings for Jett? Then we could work with him to get them together."

"That could work. We can get Jox to feel his brother out on that front. Jett would be far more likely to talk to him about it than either one of us."

"Okay. So do we show up at Phon's and ask him or have him come here?"

"Go to Phon's. If we show up outside his place he'll feel like he has more control of the situation. That should make him more receptive to the whole topic; also we'll be less likely to end up stabbed, shot, etc."

"That hadn't occurred to me. Should we go today or wait a day or so to let Jett calm down?"

"Hmmm….I…" Strife never finished the thought as the god they were discussing flashed into the room. "Hey Phonos. We were just talking about you. Have a seat?"

The God of Murder flicked his eyes to Strife then back to Cupid as he gingerly sat on the edge of a sofa. "Dad asked us to find out your feelings for Joxer's brother Jett. He figured we could give you advice on how to get to know him better or even court him if that was what you wanted."

Phonos's head snapped towards Cupid so fast that his neck would have broken if he had been mortal. "Calm down Phonos . . . I promise I'll just give suggestions. That is if this is something that you want?"

"I went to see Hephaestus and Jett was there with his brother. When he saw me he made a funny noise and ran out. I think he's afraid of me. I don't want him to be afraid of me. . . ."

"We'll help with whatever you decide to do Phon," said Strife. "If it helps I'm pretty sure he's not afraid of you. I think he's just a little overwhelmed."

Both Cupid and Strife were surprised at the open and hopeful look Phonos had on his face as he said, "Really? You don't think he's afraid of me because of my godhood?" 

"No Phonos," said Cupid gently. "It's not because of that. I mean this guy threatened Dad. I think it's because he wants your approval and isn't sure how to deal with the fact that you know who he is?"

"He likes me?" At the nods from the two gods sitting in front of him Phonos said, "I've always thought he did good work . . . and he looks good in black. I was never sure how to talk to him so I never openly approached him. Do you think he'd be upset if he found out I helped him every once in a while or sent jobs his way?"

"I don't think so," said Strife. "But let me talk to Joxer first. In fact I'll talk to him about it after dinner tonight. Why don't you come too Phonos? You're a member of the House of Aggression so you have a place at the table. It might help Jett get over his awe of you."

"I'll come too," said Cupid. "If you need help I'll be right there and it'll keep Dad off your back Strife; with me there he can't claim we're not trying to finish the job he gave us."

Strife had a faraway look on his face for a second then smiled, "Unc says he'll arrange it so that you sit next to Jett, Phonos. He suggests that you try talking to him."

After some more encouragement Phonos went off to finish his work for the day; Strife debated for a minute. Cupid hadn't told him to get lost yet so maybe he did have a chance. He'd love to explore that further but . . . "I have some things to do near Athens before dinner. I really should get going."

He noticed Cupid looking at him and wondered what it could mean. Strife was very surprised when Cupid said, "Mind if I tag along? I have a job to do in that area too and it's been ages since we spent any time together."

Strife blinked and nodded. He couldn't believe that the other god would willingly spend time with him. The God of Mischief decided to enjoy it while it lasted. Cupid slung an arm around his shoulders while saying, "Come on. Let's get started."

They reappeared outside of a stately manor just outside Athens; Strife looked around and said, "Hey. . . I have a job to do here. I'm supposed to cause the stable master enough problems that the lord of the manor has to departure for at least a day; more if possible."

"Really. I'm supposed to get the head maid to fall for the stable master. . . Maybe we can work together on this."

"Maybe. . . Did you have anything in mind?"

"Nothing definite. She already thinks he's attractive, but thinks he's a bit stuffy. I thought that if she had some errand or something that would take her out to the stables or if she saw him having difficulty and felt compelled to help him. . . I'd rather not do this with arrows if I can possibly help it."

"Hmmm. . . Is that her over there?" asked Strife as he pointed to a woman who was hanging out some linens.

"Yes. She likes to make sure the master's bed linens get washed properly so she does it herself."

"Does she have any background with horses?"

Cupid blinked and turned from his contemplation of the maid to look at his cousin. "Yes actually. Her father was the local animal healer. The only reason she's not one as well is that she didn't think anyone would trust a woman with their animals."

"Good. I can work with this. Cupe I'll need a little help from you. Here's the plan." Strife proceeded to fill Cupid in on the plan he had come up with. The more he heard of the plan the bigger Cupid's grin got.

By the time Strife had finished relating his plan to Cupid the grin was threatening to overwhelm his face and the God of Love was firmly telling himself that he could not molest his cousin on the job no matter how sexy he looked while plotting. He settled for draping an arm around Strife's shoulders and saying, "That's perfect. They'll have to acknowledge each other that way."

Strife could only nod as he was too busy enjoying having Cupid's arm around his shoulders.

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Argon was brushing out Niger's coat. He quieted the lord's favorite stallion when he shifted restlessly. The stable master knew that he should hurry up and get Niger back to his stall but Lyta was hanging the master's linens at the moment. Argon sighed and wished he was as good with girls as he was with horses. He finished his task with a sigh and started to lead Niger to the stable; a nice girl like her would never want to talk to a guy like him anyway.

Lyta sighed as she looked across the courtyard to where Argon, the stable master, was brushing down the lord's favorite stallion. He was attractive and good at his job but he was so arrogant. Every time she'd talked to him he'd looked anywhere but at her; his answers were short and he left as soon as he could. He was the same with the other maids. Looking over at him she decided to give him one more chance; after that she'd set her sights elsewhere.

Lyta was startled out of her thoughts by some angry buzzing and a panicked equine scream. She looked up to see Argon frantically trying to calm Niger while attempting to shoo a large swarm of angry bees away and leading him to the stable at the same time; he wasn't having any luck whatsoever. Suddenly the rope on Niger's halter gave way and he bolted knocking Argon into a nearby puddle. Niger ran straight towards where Lyta was standing and she barely had time to scramble out of his way let alone try to save the laundry. As it was she tripped and fell getting out of the way.

Argon groaned internally; she'd never want to talk to him now. She probably thought he was an incompetent moron who didn't deserve his job. Maybe he should offer to help her with the laundry later. . . If he could actually get the words out when he was trying to talk to her this time. He stopped to help Lyta up before taking off after Niger again; he really hoped she hadn't noticed the blush under the mud on his face.

Argon didn't have that kind of luck because she had noticed. Blinking after him Lyta had a sudden realization. Argon wasn't arrogant. He was just almost terminally shy around girls. Well that changed everything; she looked down at the mud streak on her arm and the linens that were trampled on the ground. "Oh to Tartarus with it," she muttered. She proceeded to gather the laundry into the basket and dropped it at the laundry room. She's trust someone else to do it this time. Entering the still room she made a large batch of a salve that her father had taught her to make that would be good for bee stings and bruises.

Taking the finished salve she went towards the stables, confident that Argon would have returned with his charge by now. She found him talking to the lord of the manor. "I don't know what happened my lord. The bees just came out of nowhere. He has several bee stings and a slight strain but he should be alright in a day or so though."

"That's fine Argon. I have three days before I really have to leave so I can give you until then at the latest." As he turned he spotted Lyta approaching; "Ah Lyta, is that some of that wonderful salve of yours?"

"Yes sir," she said. "Argon it will work on your bee stings as well as Niger's. It's also good for bruises." She shifted a little nervously and added, "Would you like some help with him?"

Argon blinked at her and his cheeks colored. The lord of the manor noticed and smiled to himself. "Lyta why don't you help Argon with Niger and I have a proposition for you as well; for sometime now I have been considering getting an animal healer as a member of the permanent staff. I know you have the qualifications. I'll give you three days to think about it." The lord then turned and strolled back to the house. Being forced to delay his trip would be worth it if he could get those two together. He couldn't wait to tell he wife about this and that she was right. Those two were perfect for each other.

Nearby, yet unseen by the mortal eye, stood two gods. "Well Feathers that's my job done. Did you need to do anything else to get those two together?"

"They should be okay. I'll check on them in a few days to see how things are progressing." Cupid draped an arm around Strife and pulled him in for a hug. "Thanks for the help. This wouldn't have been nearly as easy or as fun if you hadn't been here." He then leaned in and gave Strife a kiss on the cheek without thinking about it. He froze as he pulled back. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that without permission. I'll just go…"

Strife grabbed him before he could go anywhere. "I think it's time that we sat and had a talk don't you? Why don't you come over to my place and we'll have a talk before dinner. After all we did promise Phonos that we would be there to provide back up."

Cupid nodded and let Strife flash them over to his temple. He took a seat on a rather comfy looking chair that had a really narrow back. It looked like the sort of chair he would make for himself. . . Oh. . . That would certainly explain a lot. Maybe that was what Strife wanted to talk about.

Strife had freaked out a little when he realized he'd forgotten to hide the chair first but then he realized that if this conversation went the way he was hoping there would no longer be a reason to hide it. He settled for saying, "Do you like the chair?"

"Yes. I'm going to go out on a limb and say something and I want you to let me finish before you stop me alright." Cupid waited for Strife's nod before continuing. "I've admired you for a long time but I never thought that you'd want anything to do with a god who didn't have much of anything to do with War or Aggression. That's one of the reasons I didn't fight the arrow too hard when I got with Psyche. Recently I've come to realize that I have deeper feelings for you and couldn't think of how to tell you. At the time it seemed like you hated me because you never seemed to stick around when I showed up somewhere."

"Aw Cupe. I just didn't know how to talk to you. Not many of the other gods outside of the House want much to do with me. I thought that I'd stay out of your way so I didn't have to face the rejection. At the best I figured you'd at least let me play with Bliss every once in a while. I never figured we'd end up somewhere like where we are now."

"How about we take this slow then? See where things go from here with out doing the whole avoidance thing."

"That sounds great to me Cupe. We should head over to Unc's for dinner now and then you have to pick up Bliss don't you."

Cupid nodded and the two of them flashed out. He wondered why Strife had suddenly started to giggle right before they left.

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Dinner at the House of Aggression was never dull. Especially when you were trying to keep an assassin from running out of the room with out seeming like that was what you were doing. "He won't bite Jett. All you have to do is sit there. Maybe talk to him a little but nothing that would make you any more uncomfortable."

That sounded reasonable to Jett but. . . "Do I look alright….I don't want him to think I'm desperate….I need more weapons…I don't have enough weapons to be meeting with the God of Murder." Ares looked from his future brother-in-law to his fiancée and sighed. Joxer grinned at him and shrugged.

"You look fine Jett," Joxer said. "I'm sure you have plenty of weapons and besides we'll be eating dinner soon and don't tell me you couldn't think of at least five ways to kill a person using what you would find on the dinner table." Jett seemed to relax a little after that statement.

Joxer grinned to himself when he thought of the conversation he had with Hera earlier. She apparently thought Jett and Phonos would be a cute couple and was going to make sure that they had lots of time to work out their issues. She also didn't want Jett and Joxer to be sad so she was going to make sure Jayce was around to enjoy it too. He had told Ares this and he was waiting to see what Hera would come up with.

"Mother sends her regrets," Ares was saying, "but she can't be here tonight. She has sent several of her best apple pies though and I was given instructions to make sure you, Joxer, and Jayce each get a big helping of them…She was muttering something about the three of you being too skinny or something….." Ares grinned at the indignant looks on the two identical faces in front of him. As soon as he was sure that Jett wasn't looking he winked at Joxer, whose face lit up with realization of just what sort of apples those pies were made of.

The dinner guests started arriving at that point and everyone took their seats. Joxer noticed that Strife and Cupid not only seemed happier than they had in weeks but they appeared to have gotten over that little problem they were having. He wondered how long it would be before he and Ares were invited to the wedding.

Phonos looked over at his favorite follower of all time. He looked at Cupid who smiled encouragingly at him and turned to Jett. "Hello Jett. How do you like Olympus so far?"

"It's nice. I never expected to be here. I guess I'm still processing the fact that I'm here and that my little brother is marrying the God of War."

"I guess that could be a little unsettling. I have a couple of people I need to kill after dinner if that would help make you feel better. You have such a way with killing. It's a real joy to watch you."

"Really? You like my work?"

"Yes. I've even sent some jobs your way just so that I could watch you work….well that and you're really very good at it."

"I'd be honored to help you with some of your work. I'm sure you're much better at it than I am though."

"Yes, but only because I'm a god though."

Across the table Ares sat back in his chair and sighed contentedly. All of his important people were happy and all was once again right with his world.

Epilogue

Jayce watched the pacing figure in front of him and turned to talk to his brother. "You'd think he wouldn't be so nervous. He should know by now that they love each other."

"You would think so," said Joxer. "I don't think he cares at the moment though."

Jett snorted and looked at the pacing God of Mischief. "You thought Phonos and I were bad. Once we finally started talking to each other things moved pretty quickly. Strife and Cupid have been at it for years. I never thought it would take them a decade to get to marriage."

"Yeah. Your anniversary is next week isn't it. What are you guys doing?"

Jett just smirked at his brothers and went back to watching Strife pace.

Ares poked his head into the room. "It's time everyone."

The triplets escorted their friend out of the room. Ten years ago this event would have never occurred to them but now, now they couldn't picture life any other way. Jett and Joxer shared a look behind Jayce's back. Now if they could just get Jayce to settle down life would be perfect.

The End


End file.
